“Nu Breed” marks a turning point in Xavi Reija‘s career, consolidating an avant-garde approach that combines rhythmic precision with the freedom of progressive electric jazz. Out on the 27th of April, 2016 on MoonJune imprint!
The drummer and composer Xavi Reija concentrates all his creative power in «Nu Breed», an album that celebrates the artists of jazz fusion in Spain. With his new Electric Quintet, Reija takes advantage of conventional structures to
emerge in a raw and vibrant sound where electricity is the true protagonist. From Barcelona, this quintet of rolling personalities features Rafael Garcés on saxophone, Serbian-born Dušan Jevtović on electric guitar, Tomàs Fosch on guitars and Bernat Hernández on electric bass. Together they make high-voltage music that derives directly from the music of King Crimson and the freedom of Miles Davis. The result is a proposal of an uncommon emotional intensity, as the original compositions serve as fuel for a collective improvisation that gives the eye no respite.
“Nu Breed” is Reija’s most ambitious project, a music with an international flavour that has seen him collaborate with figures such as Tony Levin and Markus Reuter. With a solid discography that includes previous albums on MoonJune. Records such as “Resolution”, “The Sound of the Earth”, as well as XaDu’s “Random Abstract” (a duo project with Dušan Jevtović), the Barcelona-born drummer demonstrates this new work as a benchmark of instrumental
progressive eclectic electric jazz. Born in 1972 and educated with honours at Berklee College of Music in Boston, his career has been a succession of successes: since winning an Emmy Award in 2018, he has authored scientific articles on improvisation in the prestigious journal “The Brain Sciences.” This blend of technical rigour and onstage energy has been transformed by the Xavi Reija Electric Quintet into a unique group, capable of modernising the language of electric jazz with its own unique and unsettling signature.
In his rich career, Xavi Reija has recorded dozens of session albums and shared the stage with personalities such as Steve Hogarth, Nitai Hershkovits, Gary Willis, Abraham Laboriel, Diego Amador and Beledo, among many others. In
addition to his work as a musician, his work as a music educator with published works and his international support from brands such as Yamaha and Paiste have led him to create numerous quality projects that aim for sonic excellence. With this quintet, Reija doesn’t just present a record; he celebrates boundless creativity, supported by a demolishing rhythm section and instrumentation that explores the textures of the most current modern eclectic jazz.
On April 27, the AClam venue in Barcelona will host the official live presentation of the album. To celebrate this global launch, 20 minutes concert will be broadcast live internationally on YouTube and social media, allowing critics
and fans around the world to witness in real time the superb quality of this extraordinary band. “Nu Breed” isn’t just a new milestone; it confirms Xavi Reija as one of the pillars of contemporary Spanish electric jazz, having garnered international critical acclaim and acclaim from music fans in recent years thanks to his association with MoonJune Records.
Line up:
Xavi Reija – drums
Dušan Jevtović – electric guitar
Tomàs Fosch – Fender Rhodes electric piano, Mini Moog
Rafael Garcés – sax
Bernat Hernández – bass guitar
All songs composed by Xavi Reija except track 2, composed by Dušan Jevtović, and track 4 composed by Dušan Jevtović and Xavi Reija. All arrangements by Xavi Reija except tracks 1 and 7, arranged by XREQ.
Recorded at La Casa Murada by Jesus Rovira ion July 31 and August 1, 2025.
Mixed and mastered by Juan Pablo Alcaro in August of 2025.
Produced by Xavi Reija. Album artwork by Xavi Reija.